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Example of the Israelites (1–11). Why Christians cannot participate in pagan sacrificial meals (12–22). Rules for those who eat food sacrificed to idols (23–33) 1 Corinthians 10:1–11. As an example of what can happen if you are careless about your own salvation, you can lose it. represents the ancient Israelites who came out of Egypt with Moses. This people saw numerous miracles - these signs of God's mercy towards them - and, however, they all perished in the desert, because they lacked the ability to self-denial. The Corinthian Christians will face the same fate if they act like these lost Israelites. 1 Corinthians 10:1. I do not want to leave you, brethren, ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; “I don’t want to leave you, brothers, in ignorance.” The Corinthian Christians, of course, knew the history of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, but did not have a sufficiently clear idea of ​​the significance of the events associated with this exodus. - “Our Fathers”. Ap. He doesn't speak like a Jew. He sees in the Christian Church as the highest stage of development of the Old Testament Church, and for him the fathers of the Jewish people are also the fathers of Christians. – “Were” (ῆσαν) – indicates a prolonged state. - “Under the cloud”. This expression (under – υπό) gives the idea of ​​God’s protection, the symbol of which was a cloud moving over the Israeli militia (Ex. 13:21 et seq.). 1 Corinthians 10:2. and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; The passage of the Jews through the Red Sea had a symbolic meaning in itself and, in addition, prefigured Christian baptism. Just as a person being baptized, immersed in water, while the formula of the sacrament is pronounced over him, finds in this water, so to speak, support for his salvation, so the Jews, standing under a cloud and passing through the sea, received in this a visible sign of divine favor and salvation. They were now leaving Egypt, the country of slavery and idolatry, just as Christians, through baptism, are separated from their previous life in sin and under the condemnation of God. - “Baptized into Moses.” The Jews followed Moses with full faith in him, uniting with him in the most intimate way, just as Christians in baptism are united entirely with Christ and become His body (Rom. 6:3-5). - “In the cloud and in the sea,” that is, through covering them with a cloud and through passing through the Red Sea. 1 Corinthians 10:3. and everyone ate the same spiritual food; 1 Corinthians 10:4. and they all drank the same spiritual drink: for they drank from the spiritual stone that followed; the stone was Christ. The Jews, one might say, not only received baptism, but were also awarded St. communion. Just as the Holy Eucharist serves to strengthen the spiritual life in a person, which began in him from the moment he was baptized, so the Jews, upon their liberation from Egyptian slavery, began to receive the grace-filled gifts necessary for their preservation. It was they who ate “spiritual food,” i.e., manna, and drank “spiritual drink,” i.e., the water that Moses poured out for them twice from the stone (Ex. 17:1–7 and Num. 20:2–13). Both are called “spiritual” because of the extraordinary, miraculous nature of their origin (manna from heaven, water from stone). - "All" . Yes, all the Jews ate these wonderful gifts of God, but only two were saved and lived to enter the Promised Land - Joshua and Caleb. – “They drank from the spiritual subsequent stone.” The miraculous nature of the water flowing out of the stone is explained by the fact that the stone itself was of a “spiritual” nature. Here the word "spiritual" obviously refers to the being of the stone. The stone, by its nature, in its essence, was such that it could perform such miraculous actions, i.e. he was of divine nature, for creativity is characteristic only of God. It is clear that Ap. here does not mean the stone rock into which Moses, at the command of God, struck twice with the rod (Ex. 17:6 and Num. 20:11), but the invisible, spiritual rock that invisibly followed (“followed”) with the Jews through the Arabian desert and was the true source of water. This, as Ap himself notes. right there, “there was Christ.” Why Ap. Called Christ a stone or a rock? As a matter of fact, Jehovah Himself is repeatedly called this way by Moses (Deut. 32:4, 15, 18; cf. Isa. 17:10, 26:4). But Ap. imagined Christ as the pre-existent Creator of the world from eternity (1 Cor. 8:6) - that Angel of Jehovah who repeatedly appeared to the patriarchs of the Jewish people and led the Jews through the wilderness (cf. Is. 63:9). The flow of water from a stone was only part of the miracles that Christ performed in the desert, walking invisibly with the Jewish people. – Thus, the internal similarity of the Old and New Testaments is based on the fact that there and here there is one Head - Christ. And the consequence that can be drawn from this is this: Christ lived among the Old Testament Israelites - and yet they died! Can Christians then be sure that they will not suffer the same fate if they imitate the Jews in unbelief?! 1 Corinthians 10:5. But God was not pleased with many of them, for they were slain in the wilderness. 1 Corinthians 10:6. And these were images for us, so that we would not be lustful for evil, as they were lustful. Now Ap. begins to find out that the great blessings that the Corinthians received from God cannot completely protect them from God’s judgment. - “And this,” that is, the rejection of Israel after so many mercies of God. - “There were images for us.” What happened to the Jews foreshadowed what could happen to Christians, and God spoke about this in Scripture so that Christians would try to avoid those lusts that once destroyed the Jews who came out of Egypt. 1 Corinthians 10:7. Nor be ye idolaters, as some of them are, of whom it is written: The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 1 Corinthians 10:8. Let us not commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them perished. Ap. points to four examples of the fall of the Israeli people: two of them, about which Ap. speaks in vv. 7–8, refer to pleasures that were forbidden by God, and the next two (vv. 9–10) refer to the murmuring that was caused in the people of Israel by material deprivation during the journey in the desert. - “Don’t be the same.” The Jews moved from lusts to action when Aaron created a golden calf for them and held a holiday in its honor. – “Play” – more correctly: “dance”. - “Let us not commit fornication.” This sin was closely related to idolatry. Ap. recalls here the case when the Jews, on the advice of Balaam, were invited by the Midianites to a festival in honor of their god, Baal-Peor, where the Jews fell into the sin of fornication - “Twenty-three thousand.” According to the book Number (Numbers 25:9) – 24 thousand. Perhaps the Jewish tradition deliberately removed one thousand here, just as the same tradition said that under Moses the criminal was given not forty, but 39 strokes (cf. 2 Cor. 11:24). 1 Corinthians 10:9. Let us not tempt Christ, as some of them tempted and were killed by snakes. 1 Corinthians 10:10. Do not grumble, as some of them grumbled and were killed by the destroyer. The third sin of the Jews was grumbling about the monotony of food that God sent them in the desert. - “We will not tempt Christ.” With this murmur, the Jews tempted God, that is, they encouraged Him to show His miraculous power to satisfy their whims. It was a very big sin. The Corinthians also commit this sin when they go to pagan temples on holidays and eat meat sacrificed to idols, as if by doing so challenging Christ to remove from them with His power all the harmful influence of idolatry and this meat sacrificed to idols. - “Don’t complain.” The fourth sin of the Jews was their murmur against Moses and Aaron - about the sudden death of those who were outraged by the severity of God's judgment that punished the enemies of Moses and Aaron - Korah, Dothan and Abiron (Num. 16). The Russian translation attributes this murmur to the indignation of the people upon the arrival of the spies, see Numbers 14:37, but the appearance of the “destroying” angel indicates a sudden execution of those who complained, whereas in the latter case the execution was not carried out immediately and suddenly, but only a sentence was announced, which was to be carried out within forty years. Citing this example, Ap. obviously had in mind the discontent that existed against him in some part of the Corinthian Christian Church regarding the disapproval that was expressed by the Apostle in relation to persons who attended pagan feasts. Among these dissatisfied people, the question could even arise as to whether Paul had the right to make himself the head of the local Church. In this case, the similarity between the Corinthians and Korah, Dothan and Abiron, who rebelled against the rights of Moses and Aaron, was, of course, great. 1 Corinthians 10:11. All this happened to them like images; but it is described for the instruction of us who have reached the last centuries. Ap. not that he wants to say that these events did not actually happen. No, they happened in reality, but they had significance not only for the Jews, but also for us, Christians - for us even more than for the Jews, because we have “reached the last centuries.” The word "age" (αιῶνες) means all periods of the life of the world. “Last centuries” (more precisely: the ends of centuries). The history of the Messianic kingdom for the Apostle consists of two periods - the period of the purely spiritual dominion of the Messiah and the time of His glorious reign. “The ends of the ages” is, of course, the end of the first period. This is the time of the final decision of the fate of people and therefore all previous periods of both blessings and judgments of God had only a passing and preparatory (prototypical) significance 12. When this last period ends, preceding the opening of the glorious kingdom of Christ, Apostle. does not indicate. 1 Corinthians 10:12–22. Ap. now applies the above to the spiritual state of the Corinthians. They must avoid what can deprive them of grace-filled fellowship with Christ—namely, idolatry. Every divine service connects a person with the being to whom it is dedicated. Thus, the Eucharist puts Christians into communion with Christ, the Jewish sacrifice brought the Jews into contact with the altar of Jehovah, and the pagan sacrifice puts a person under the influence of demons, from which idolatry itself originated, and Ap does not want to allow this. Paul. 1 Corinthians 10:12. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:13. No temptation has befallen you other than that of man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but when you are tempted, He will also provide relief, so that you can endure it. The Corinthians, who considered themselves firm in the faith, must not lose sight of the possibility of falling into sins (cf. Rom. XIV:4). - “It has befallen you.” The meaning of this passage is this: “if you had fallen, you would not have had any excuse for yourself, because the temptations that have befallen you so far were not at all unbearably difficult; as for “future” temptations, God can give you strength to endure them.” Ap., obviously, wants to find out to the Corinthians that as long as they struggle with temptations sent by God, until then they are not in danger of falling into sin and falling away from the faith; when they themselves boldly throw themselves into temptations, they cannot be sure of victory over them. – “Temptation” – see James 1:2, 13. – “Human” (ανθρώπινος). This expression is better understood as a designation of the quality of temptation: “commensurate with human strength.” 1 Corinthians 10:14. So, my beloved, flee idolatry. 1 Corinthians 10:15. I speak to you as if you are sensible; Judge for yourself what I say. Here is a conclusion from what was said in the previous verse. Beware, says the Ap., lest you fall into temptations that God has not determined for you and which you probably will not withstand. - “So” is more correct: “therefore” (διόπερ), precisely because you can count on God’s help only in those temptations that God Himself sends, and not in others. - “Flee idolatry” - more correctly: “run away from (από) idolatry,” that is, run away from everything that has anything to do with idolatry and, of course, first of all, from sacrificial meals in pagan temples. Although these meals were not in themselves idolatry—a Christian could participate in them without believing in idols—they bordered on idolatry and could lead to it. - “I tell you as if you are sensible.” The Corinthians were proud of their wisdom, and Ap. now calls upon this wisdom. - “What am I saying?” This Ap. points to his further reasoning (vv. 16–22). 1 Corinthians 10:16. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a communion of the Blood of Christ? Is not the bread that we break a communion of the Body of Christ? 1 Corinthians 10:17. There is one bread, and we, many, are one body; for we all partake of one bread. The sacrament of the Eucharist corresponds to the feast, which in the Old Testament consisted of a sacrifice of peace or salvation. After bringing this sacrifice, the one who brought it dined with his family at the tabernacle and invited the priest to this dinner, who slaughtered the sacrifice, the remaining parts of which were eaten at this dinner. This was a sign of reconciliation, which was again established between Jehovah and man - a sinner. In the same way, in the sacrament of the Eucharist, which is a bloodless sacrifice, through partaking of the body and blood of Christ, the believer entered into the closest communion with Christ, accepted Christ into himself. - “Blessing Cup”. This was the name among the Jews for the cup, which during the Easter supper the father of the family blessed, reading a special prayer of gratitude to God for His blessings to the entire universe and the people of Israel. During the celebration of Easter, before His suffering, Christ also blessed this cup - the third in a row - but at the same time he probably said a new prayer of thanksgiving, relating to the redemption He accomplished of people. Thus, the first half of verse 16 can be rendered as follows: “the cup over which the Lord said a prayer of thanksgiving, which we repeat every time we celebrate the Eucharist.” “Is this not communion with the Blood of Christ?” In the sacrament of the Eucharist, bread and wine are mysteriously transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ. Calvinists ask: what kind of blood is this - does it belong to the body of Christ not yet glorified or already glorified? A more natural answer to this question would be this: this is the blood that Christ shed to save people, therefore, the blood of His not yet glorified organism (Zlat.). But Calvinists object: how did the Lord give this blood to the Apostles at the supper before it was actually shed? We answer: the sacrifice of Christ was already offered by Him in His decision, which made it possible to offer His true blood to the Apostles. - “The bread that we break.” Although the bread was also blessed by the Lord (Matthew 26:26), however, the Apostle, in order not to repeat himself in expressions, mentions only one refraction of it. - Ap. first mentions the blood, and then the body of Christ because the blood itself constituted the most essential part of the sacrifice (cf. Rom. 3:25). - “One bread”. From the communion of believers with Christ Ap. brings out the idea of ​​their communication with each other. The meaning of Art. 17 like this: “since (ότι - according to the Slav. “as”) we have only one bread, then we, although there are many of us, form ourselves into one body, for we all partake of the same bread." The union that binds Christians with their common Head binds them with each other as members of a single body. - "One body", i.e. the Church. 1 Corinthians 10:18. Look at Israel according to the flesh: are they not partakers of the altar who eat the sacrifices? Having spoken about the Eucharist and its meaning for believers, Apostle. speaks of the meaning of the sacrifices that the Israelites ate at the altar. - “Israel according to the flesh.” This shows that the true children of Israel are Ap. considered Christians who were truly close to Israel or Jacob in spirit. - “Participants of the altar.” The Israelites, through sacrifice, entered into communion only with the altar, were accepted again into the theocratic society, from which they were temporarily removed by the impurity of sin, and we Christians become partakers not of the altar, but of Christ Himself (Zlat.). 1 Corinthians 10:19. What am I saying? Is it that an idol is something, or that something sacrificed to idols means something? 1 Corinthians 10:20. No, but what the pagans, when making sacrifices, offer to demons, and not to God. But I don't want you to be in communication with demons. Turning now to the pagan victims, Ap. and here he finds a clearly expressed idea of ​​​​human communication with a deity, this time already false. But how can this communication be allowed if these very deities do not exist in reality, if there is no Apollo, no Venus, no Mars? Could eating meat offered to these supposed deities have any significance? No, of course,” answers the Apostle, “there are no idol deities, but there are evil, demonic forces behind these idols, who managed to blind the minds of people so much that they began to consider idols as real beings, but in fact they bowed to demons. – “Demons” (δαιμονίοις). The word δαιμόνιον has a completely different meaning in the New Testament than it does among the classical writers. The latter considered it to be similar to the expression θεῖον something divine, and Plato said that the demon is a mediator between the Divine and mortals (something like a good angel). In the LXX translation this word means an already fallen angel (cf. Deut. 32:17; Isa. 65:11), a demon, and in this sense it is also used in the New Testament. However, Ap. He does not at all say that behind each idolatrous deity there is a special demon: he only wants to say that all idolatry in general owes its origin to demons. 1 Corinthians 10:21. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; You cannot be participants in the table of the Lord and in the table of demons. 1 Corinthians 10:22. Do we really decide to irritate the Lord? Are we stronger than Him? "You can't". Ap. says here from a fundamental point of view: “it is morally impossible for them to participate at the same time in two such opposing cults - that would mean that you are contradicting yourself!” - “The cup of demons.” During pagan meals on holidays, libations were poured from bowls in honor of various gods. The first cup of wine was dedicated to Jupiter, the second to Jupiter and the nymphs, and the third to Jupiter the Savior (Salvator). Whoever drank from these three cups, which were passed around to all the guests, obviously served idols and, together with them, put himself under the influence of demons. – “Annoy” – more precisely: “to arouse jealousy” (παραζηλοῦν). The Lord is thought of here as a husband who burns with jealousy over his wife’s infidelity. – Under “Lord” here, as in other places in this letter Ap. Paul (cf. 4, 9 and 21) better understand Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:23–33. Now Ap. He appeals to those who are strong in the faith (cf. vv. 23, 24, 32, 33), teaches them to eat without embarrassment any meat sold at the market and to dine with the pagans without embarrassment. But - he adds - you must refrain from eating meat at this dinner if anyone weak in the faith tells you that this meat is sacrificed to idols. In a word, everything must be done for the glory of God and not tempt anyone with your behavior. 1 Corinthians 10:23. Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial; everything is permissible for me, but not everything edifies. Ap. repeats the rule expressed by him in 1 Cor. 6:12, but applies it to a different case. - "Healthy" . This expression indicates spiritual benefit in general, including a person’s own benefit. - “Edifies”, - that is, specifically useful for the spiritual salvation of our neighbor. 1 Corinthians 10:24. No one seeks his own, but each one seeks the benefit of the other. This verse was added by the Apostle to clarify what he meant by the expression: “edifies.” He who cares about the good of his neighbor ceases to care about pleasing himself, his sensual nature. 1 Corinthians 10:25. Eat everything that is sold at the market without any research, for peace of conscience; 1 Corinthians 10:26. For the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness of it. “For peace of conscience” is more correct: according to conscience (διά τήν συνείδησιν). These words refer to the expression: “without any investigation”, representing their explanation. Ap. wants to say: “eat without asking about the meat, as long as your conscience does not prevent you from doing so!” - “The Lord's land”. Everything that fills the earth is a trace. and meat belongs to the Lord. They say (Heinrici) that these words of Psalm 23 (Ps. 23:1) were part of the table prayer among the Jews. 1 Corinthians 10:27. If one of the infidels calls you and you want to go, then eat everything that is offered to you without any investigation, for peace of conscience. "And you'll want to go." Ap. does not prohibit accepting invitations from pagans, since a Christian has family, friendship or business relations with them. But he assumes that the believer will first discuss the question of whether he should go or not: this is clearly indicated by the expression: “if you want” - more precisely: “if you decide.” 1 Corinthians 10:28. But if someone tells you, “This is sacrificed to idols,” then do not eat for the sake of the one who told you, and for the sake of your conscience. For the earth is the Lord's, and what fills it. 1 Corinthians 10:29. I don’t mean my own conscience, but another’s: for why should my freedom be judged by someone else’s conscience? “If anyone...”, that is, any of the guests are also Christians. - “For his sake,” that is, so as not to induce the weak in faith to be tempted by the example of the strong and not to induce the weak to eat a piece of meat sacrificed to idols against his conscience. - “For the sake of conscience” - that is, so as not to confuse the conscience of the weak with your action; Even if a weak person does not taste meat sacrificed to idols, he will still be embarrassed when he sees another Christian eating this meat. – “For the Lord’s earth...” – this repetition of a quotation from Psalm XXIII should not have taken place here, as can be seen from many ancient codes of the New Testament, where it does not exist. Our Textus Receptus borrows it from Deacon Euphalios. - “I don’t mean my own conscience.” A man strong in faith, refusing meat sacrificed to idols at a pagan’s dinner for the benefit of his brother, weak in faith, does not thereby at all renounce his convictions and rights; his conscience remains independent of the conscience of his brother in faith even when he balances his behavior with the demands of the conscience of the weak. - “For why...”, i.e. “What benefit would it bring if a judgment was made about my freedom based on someone else’s conscience?” At dinner there should be no quarrels between Christians over food - this would only humiliate the dignity of their faith. 1 Corinthians 10:30. If I take food with thanksgiving, then why blame me for what I give thanks for? Ap. here it shows even more strongly how careless the behavior of the strong in faith is. He eats something sacrificed to idols, sending thanks to God for this, and meanwhile this arouses confusion in the weak and he begins to condemn him out loud right there, at dinner (“to blame” - in Greek βλασφημειν - means precisely censure in words). Here is Ap. says the same thing that was said to them in the 2nd half of the 29th verse. 1 Corinthians 10:31. So, whether you eat, drink, or whatever you do, do everything to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:32. Give no offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks, or to the church of God, In conclusion of his discussion of food sacrificed to idols, Ap. expresses a general position that a Christian should always keep in mind when he has to make any decisions in matters relating to Christian freedom in things that are indifferent from a moral point of view, like food and drink, a Christian should choose not what is more pleasant or profitable for himself, but what can most serve the glorification of God and the benefit of his neighbor. And since the glory of God consists in the discovery of Divine perfections, especially holiness and love, a Christian will then glorify God when, by his behavior, he allows his fellow men to know the love and holiness of his Heavenly Father. Then, we need to take care that our behavior does not seduce our neighbors, whether they be Jews, Greeks (that is, pagans in general) or Christians (“The Church of God” is what the Apostle calls Christians in order to inspire more respect for the weakest in faith, who nevertheless constitute the society of God’s chosen ones). Of course, the behavior of a Christian can prevent Jews and pagans from entering the Church of Christ, and give some Christians a reason to fall away from the Church. 1 Corinthians 10:33. just as I please everyone in everything, seeking not my own benefit, but the benefit of many, so that they may be saved. Ap. understands that others are best taught by example. And so he points to an example of his own self-sacrifice for the good of his neighbor (cf. IX). - “I please everyone and in everything.” About “pleasing” - see above chapter. 9 tbsp. 20–22 (on opportunism). Of course, Ap. Here he means pleasing in those cases to which every Christian can relate freely, without being bound by general church discipline. Instead of the expression: “we who have reached the last ages,” we must say: “we, in whom the times of the world or the periods of the life of the world have reached the final goal of their movement” Christ. The Church is the goal of the entire ongoing development of the life of the world You might be interested in: